Team India have had a disappointing few months in Test cricket with back-to-back series losses to New Zealand and Australia. With so much at stake and much expected from the Indian unit, losing six out of the last eight Tests was always going to result in some consequences.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently met BCCI officials to review the recent debacles on the field, leading to several potential changes to the regulations. One reported change that has dominated the headlines today (January 14) is the introduction of a performance-based variable pay structure for the players.
While the confirmation and details of the same are awaited, it goes without saying that this is in line with how employees in the corporate world are financially served. Will a similar approach work in Indian cricket and be a boon for better performances? Or is it too far-fetched a fantasy that could ultimately end up with more trouble than it is worth?
Let us analyze the possible upsides and downsides of such a pay structure for Indian players in this day and age.
The obvious benefits
Let us get the fairly obvious benefits of a performance-based variable pay model out of the way! For starters, anytime a player's finances depend on his production, the motivation to perform should naturally increase.
It is also highly possible that players' net output could witness a rise from such a structure, thanks to the increase in accountability of individual production. Needless to say, Indian cricket works on the untold hierarchical rule for selection, omission, and overall annual contracts.
The variable pay being purely performance-driven could help balance the benefits some gain over others from factors like seniority and hierarchy. Other distractions, resulting in increased off-time, or the growing popularity of workload management could also be kept in check with this model, for players will now realize the importance of the phrase 'Availability is the best form of ability.'
While an environment driven by the fear of failure could be toxic, it is a better method of operation than one driven by complacency. Any quantifiable model that works directly in proportion to performances will almost certainly help get rid of any complacency among the players at all times.
The many drawbacks
From the outside, when emotion takes over logic in the aftermath of such dismal recent results, any change feels like a positive change. Yet, once the dust settles in and a proper analysis of this newly proposed financial model gets done, the ugly side of it opens up.
While no one is sure whether this tried-and-tested model works even in the corporate world, considering the ever-increasing attrition rate, the drawbacks are multifold in a team sport like cricket.
Players might wonder - why suddenly now? Indian cricket has fared much worse in the past and the current lot has been arguably their best-performing unit across formats. Yet, for the senior and even younger players to be exposed to a pay structure strictly driven by performance might lead to friction between them, the board, and other stakeholders.
There is also the massive possibility of unhealthy competition between players in the side in a sport where every individual performance can make or break the outcome of a contest. By placing an incentive for nearly every performance, the room for selfishness increases, resulting in an unenviable team environment.
Imagine a batter whose role is to attack from the get-go compared to one who does the anchoring role. With so much riding on each performance, will the former willingly take the aggressive route without inhibition?
Imagine two batters stranded mid-pitch. Will each one think of the betterment of the team in that instance or protecting their wicket, knowing the consequences of each performance?
Even the bowling plans could get affected, with those assigned the holding role for the other more wicket-taking bowlers, getting a raw deal if performance is measured purely by numbers.
It brings us to the biggest issue of them all - How do 'Individual performances' get measured? The easy and lazy way to look at it would be just analyzing the overall numbers, which offer no context and hence no impactful value.
A batter scoring 30 off 15 deliveries at No.6 in a T20I will never have as many runs and milestones and will almost certainly miss out on making a mark due to the difficulty of the role, compared to a top-order batter pacing his innings for 50+ scores. Similar correlations can be made based on how numbers without the pitch variances accounted for offer unfair data for judging performances.
A batter like KL Rahul, averaging 35 as an opener in the recently concluded Australian series, will be considered a failure just on benchmark numbers. However, contextual analysis and the eye test make it obvious that his performance on those pitches, coupled with his role, is better than another batter averaging 60 on flatter pitches when walking into bat under much less daunting circumstances.
Similarly, a bowler with figures of 0/25 in 4 overs on a 200-wicket could easily turn into a bad outing in the overall picture, while another with three wickets in the final over of the innings when the opposition is on 220/2 could skew the overall numbers in his favor.
Such lack of objectivity in differentiating between individual performances makes this pay structure far too detrimental in a team sport.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits and drawbacks of a performance-based variable model are plenty. While the lack of a sample space makes the judgment of each somewhat subjective, the subjectivity in the parameters of the model itself makes it one that involves high risk.
The several grey areas when it comes to terming a performance as good, bad, or average in complicated team sports like cricket make it nearly impossible to pass a fair assessment.
Final Verdict: Even if the pros and cons play to a push, the grey area of such a pay model makes it one the BCCI should stay away from.
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